A prior art radial shaft-sealing ring of this general type is disclosed in DE-OS 1 916 214. The liquid deflectors of this prior art sealing ring are designed movable like fins and they rest with their inside circumference on the surface of the sealed shaft. Therefore, during rotation of the shaft, they are deflected in the direction of rotation. Thus, these prior art fins serve as scrapers and their purpose is to strip foreign bodies and liquids off the surface of the shaft and to throw them off and outward. This results in lubricating oil no longer reaching the sealing zone proper at high shaft rotation speeds. In this extremely temperature-sensitive region, lack of lubrication can occur which results in a further increase of the heat generated by friction and thus in premature failure of the sealing element. For this reason, the prior art radial shaft-sealing rings of the type described cannot be used for sealing high-speed shafts.
Liquid deflectors inhibit the accumulation or incrustation of solid materials in the region of the sealing zone. This accumulation can occur on the inner surface of the lip ring or on the shaft itself. Accumulations on the lip ring can result in the impairment of the flexibility and the elasticity of the sealing lip with the accompanying detrimental effects on the seal if shaft vibrations occur. Accumulations on the surface on the shaft leads to an increased diameter of the shaft or irregular distributions resulting in relief-like fissure formations on the shaft surface. This can result in heavy wear and rapid destruction of the sealing lip if there is an axial shift of the shaft in the sealing zone.